What We Know About Tom Sandoval And Ariana Madix's Relationship

Fans of the Bravo series "Vanderpump Rules" were stunned when news broke that Tom Sandoval was cheating on Ariana Madix with their costar, Raquel Leviss. Up until the story was released in early March 2023, Sandoval and Madix had been together for nearly 10 years. A number of outlets revealed that not only were Sandoval and Leviss having an affair, but they had also been engaged in the affair for at least half a year.

While fans of the show waited for Sandoval, Madix, or Leviss to release a statement about the affair, they also began poring through old episodes of the show to see if there were hints and signs of the relationship between Sandoval and Leviss that they might have missed. Many fans quickly recalled that Sandoval and Leviss wore matching necklaces and that Sandoval had dressed as Leviss for Halloween in 2022.

The trio's cast mates also had their own reactions to the affair. As Leviss' former fiancé James Kennedy captioned a since-deleted post: "Hope you all feel as sick as I do. This explains everything" (via Twitter). With all this in mind, here is a look at Tom Sandoval and Ariana Maddix's relationship, all the way up to its surprising end. 

Tom Sandoval and Kristen Doute waited until the reunion episode for Season 2 of "Vanderpump Rules" to announce that their relationship was over — and Sandoval also used the same night to share that he and Ariana Madix were officially a couple. 

Of course, not everyone was exactly thrilled about the news when the pair announced it on the show. Sandoval was asked about the apparent evidence that he had cheated on Doute, and everyone acknowledged that things between the two had cooled off for a while. Sandoval admitted to cheating and Madix joined the group. Once everyone realized that the two were together, Doute told the audience that she was "heartbroken" despite being in her own new relationship at the time. Things eventually boiled over to the point where Doute leaves the set of the reunion episode completely.

After the big reveal on the reunion episode, Sandoval and Madix announced the news the way many celebrity couples do: on social media! Both took to Instagram to share photos that meant something to them, with Sandoval posting a picture of the pair on a trip to San Francisco and Madix posting a black and white photo of the two making faces in a photo booth.

Despite appearing seriously committed for years, Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix repeatedly asserted that they had no plans to get married ... ever. While speaking to Us Weekly in December 2018, the two each reaffirmed this to the outlet. "It's not on the agenda for us," Madix said. When pressed about whether or not she wanted to get married and have kids ever in her lifetime, Madix insisted that there were simply too many other things she wanted to do first.

"I feel like I have way too much stuff I've got to do, you know? I've got to travel the world, I've got to be a successful businesswoman," Madix continued. However, a few years later it started to sound like Madix might have been considering changing her mind about marrying Sandoval. After witnessing the effort that Sandoval put into orchestrating James Kennedy's proposal to Raquel Leviss, Madix told her boyfriend on the October 19, 2021, episode of "Vanderpump Rules" that she could kind of see the appeal. 

As she put it: "How could anyone say 'no' if this is how someone asks you to marry them? So, like, if it was like this, but it was just us, maybe." Madix repeated the sentiment to Bravo's Andy Cohen about a week later, when she said she would be "more open" to a wedding if it was just herself and Sandoval.

The issue about Tom Sandoval telling Ariana Madix's business to his friends couldn't have been too big of a deal for the pair, because they turned around and bought a $2 million home together in February 2019. As reported by E! News, the pair worked with Sandoval's friend and real estate agent Douglas McFarland to find the right abode. As McFarland explained to the outlet: "We explored a lot of options in a lot of different areas (both fixers and new) and ultimately found that the quality and detail of this property was far superior than your typical turn and burn mc-mansion."

The home is certainly impressive. The entertainment outlet noted that at the time of purchase, it had five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms, plus a private pool that came complete with a waterfall. In April 2021, the pair offered People the opportunity to check out their home in person, and the outlet reported that it's just as lush and lovely as it sounded back when the two bought it.

Madix told the outlet that when it came to styling and decorating the home, the pair had their work cut out for them — mostly because she and Sandoval have different styles and preferences. "Every room is different because Tom and I both have different individual styles and then we've really worked hard to put those two very different ideas together," Madix explained.

In early 2023 rumors began to spread that Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval's relationship was open — that is, that they were dating one another but also free to date other people, too. As reported by Page Six, the rumors began after the trailer for Season 10 of "Vanderpump Rules" showed castmate Scheana Shay telling Sandoval: "Katie [Maloney] said you and Ariana have an open relationship," and in another part of the trailer, Sandoval is shown hugging another castmate, Raquel Leviss, while he isn't wearing a shirt.

In a since-deleted tweet, Page Six added that Madix joked: "We don't have an open relationship. I'm really not that cool. Thought that was obvious. #pumprules." Madix then went on to reply to fans who had more questions about the pair's relationship. 

Madix spoke to Page Six directly about the rumors at the show's premiere event. She told the outlet that she often felt that the public was overthinking her relationship with Sandoval a little too much. "I think people see my relationship with Tom ... as nontraditional in a lot of ways, and they think there's got to be more to it, you know?" Madix went on to add that she believed that the pair shared so much of their relationship on camera that there really wasn't much they could be hiding.

On March 4, 2023, Ariana Madix found out that Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss were having an affair. As reported by People, Madix found out about the relationship after she found a sexually explicit video that Sandoval and Leviss had recorded together. According to the outlet, Madix was at a music venue watching Sandoval perform in his band Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras when she found the video on Sandoval's phone in addition to a number of texts that People described as "inappropriate."

A source close to the situation told the outlet: "This has been going on for upwards of 6 months — all the while, Tom was sleeping next to Ariana in bed. She was completely blindsided by this; devastated doesn't even scratch the surface of how she feels." The outlet also wrote that Madix was completely surprised by the news that the pair were having an affair. Four days after news of the affair broke, Sandoval issued an apology to Madix on Instagram. He said in part: "My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends."